• As of 31 January 2023, a total of 10,650 individuals (2,868 families) had cumulatively been repatriated since the second phase of the voluntary repatriation movements started in July 2022, and 10,851 individuals comprising 2,922 families since the first phase of the voluntary repatriation programme from Mantapala settlement started in December 2021.

From 1 January to 31 August 2023, some 1,552 individuals have cumulatively been submitted to various resettlement countries for resettlement consideration. 673 individuals have departed on resettlement so far this year to different countries. 1,552 refugees were submitted to various countries for resettlement consideration between 1 January and 31 August 2023. 58,531 individuals received treatment and care from the 10-settlement health facilities from 1 January to 31 August 2023. 13,096 are enrolled in schools across the three refugee settlements in Zambia, with 13% being from the host community. MAIN ACTIVITIES UNHCR and partners support the Government to provide legal and community-based protection and social support. These interventions reach 19,299 persons in Lusaka, 39,499 people in Meheba refugee settlement and 23,906 persons in Mayukwayukwa refugee settlement, in the North-Western and Western Provinces, respectively, and 7,943 persons in Mantapala settlement in Luapula Province are supported.

• Zambia's Vice President led a delegation from the government to attend the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) in Geneva, Switzerland. Upon departure in Lusaka, the Vice President said that Zambia will continue to shelter people seeking refuge from other countries due to conflicts, as mandated by the UN. Therefore, programmes such as the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva are important for the country to participate in. "As a country, we have hosted refugees for many years, and we will continue to provide shelter to those seeking protection from conflicts in our region," she said. The UNHCR Representative also attended the GRF in Geneva. While in Geneva, the Vice President will also take part in the celebration of the UN's 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The Vice President's attendance at a UNHCR function is a significant political representation and commitment by the Government of Zambia to the Global Compact on Refugees.

In August, 3,410 PoCs were supported with general Cash Based Interventions. Cumulatively, since 1 January 2021, 10,493 refugees have received CBI assistance.

In terms of durable solutions, UNHCR submitted 163 cases comprising 624 refugees for resettlement consideration. Some 119 cases consisting of 401 individuals travelled to resettlement countries.

Some 131 business holders in Lusaka and the three refugee settlements directly benefited from Cash-based Intervention (CBI) for livelihoods amounting to US$ 58,211.09.

At the end of September, UNHCR had submitted 163 cases comprising 624 refugees for resettlement consideration. Most of the cases were submitted to the Nordic countries. A total of 5,231 people of concern (PoCs) have had access to COVID-19 testing in Zambia. Some 254 refugee business holders benefited from Cash-based Intervention (CBI) for livelihoods amounting to over US$ 58,000 in September. .

97 Congolese refugees (32 households) were repatriated from Mantapala settlement to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in the first week of January, In January, WFP distributed cash for food assistance, under the Cash-based Transfer (CBT) programme, to 16,965 refugees (8,309 men and 8,656 women) in Mantapala settlement. UNHCR’s livelihoods partner, Caritas Czech Republic (CCR) commenced the distribution of agricultural tools to 526 families out of the targeted 672 families in Meheba refugee settlement. received the tools. .

As of 31 May 2018, a total of 6,621 Congolese refugees (2,205 households) have been relocated to Mantapala Refugee Settlement from Kenani Transit Centre. Government, with support from UNHCR and IOM, expects the relocation exercise of the remaining 8,722 individuals to be completed by end of July 2018. The Government, through COR, has been leading the relocation exercises since they began earlier this year. The poor state of the road between Nchelenge and Mantapala Refugee Settlement continues to be of concern to all stakeholders.

 By late 2017, more than 685,000 Congolese refugees sought international protection in neighbouring countries, including Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Rwanda, the Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, as well as in countries in Southern Africa and beyond. In 2018, the crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) deteriorated, spreading to previously unaffected areas. Since August 30, 2017, Zambia received refugees fleeing conflict in Pweto and Moba areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), who were first settled temporarily in Chiengi district.  By September 2017 the number of arrivals had exceeded 1,000 and Kenani transit centre in Nchelenge district was opened, to which all refugees were relocated. As the number of refugees increased to over 6,000, Kenani could no longer accommodate new arrivals.  Mantapala, approximately 36 km southeast of Nchelenge and spanning - 8,000 hectares, was opened in early 2018. All refugees residing at Kenani, were then relocated to the new settlement. Ever since the 2018 elections in DRC, arrivals have reduced to a steady trickle of refugees seeking international protection or family reunification.  During the emergency refugee operation, the Government of Zambia, through the Office of the Commissioner for Refugees in the Ministry of Home Affairs, collaborated closely with UNHCR, UN agencies and other partners. It coordinated and led the emergency response to address the most urgent protection needs of refugees such as food, shelter, water and sanitation, core relief items, and health services, and provided livelihood support and basic education for refugees to promote peaceful co-existence with local community and contribute to local economic development.  Today, the collaboration of Government with UNHCR, UN agencies and other partners is aimed at providing sustainable solutions for refugees and the host community, inculcating a sense of self-reliance and ownership in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Seventh National Development Plan (SNDP).  Considerable gains have been made regarding the construction of permanent infrastructure, the next focus will be to enhance the multi-stakeholder approach to equip structures such as health and education facilities to improve human potential and to support the inclusion of refugees in national systems in line with the Global Compact on Refugees of which the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) is apart.